# The Role Process Thinking Should Play in a DAO By [Appt Pupil](https://paragraph.com/@apptpupil) · 2022-09-28 --- Processes are feared by many, loved by some, and misunderstood by most. It’s a useful concept, but we can easily make it more trouble than its worth. Here’s how. Since the term "process" is frequently abused, I need to start by being clear what exactly I mean by the term. No sense getting overly cute, as the dictionary definition of "a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end" works just fine for our purposes. Technically, anything at all can be defined as a process, and in some sense we can't avoid being able to characterize something we do as a process. So for example, we can describe our eating breakfast as a process with the steps "decide to eat breakfast', "obtain supplies", "prepare breakfast", and "eat breakfast" as the actions that achieve the end of having eaten breakfast. However, the fact we can describe all work in this way sometimes leads to dysfunctional thinking. For example, we may get in our heads that since anything can be characterized as a process, we therefore should do so. Not so! Where process thinking is useful is when we are unsatisfied with the ends achieved or the actions/steps taken to get there. For instance, it's taking us too long to prepare and eat breakfast in the morning, so the kids aren't able to get to school on time. One approach I have found helpful for improving processes is known as Continual Service Improvement, or CSI. It's part of the [IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITILhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITIL), which is a body of practices that has been used (and misused) to make IT more valuable for decades. CSI describes a 7 step process for improvement. It's similar to the scientific method in that in the normal day-to-day, you can often just implicitly use many of these steps, but when you are really stuck, cranking up the full explicit method is powerful. * **Step 1. Identify the strategy for improvement.** What are we trying to achieve overall, and what's our initial thought on the best way to do so? In the case of breakfast, our goal may be to shorten the duration of breakfast enough to get to school on time without sacrificing the quality of the food or being able to connect as a family while we eat. The clearer we are on this up front, the easier it will be for us down the road. * **Step 2. Define what to measure.** What metrics will tell us whether we are getting closer to our goal or not? Let's not overthink this - we need to measure how long it takes to make and eat breakfast, and ask everyone yes or no whether they are satisfied with the food we eat and how we connect as a family. (We'll ignore the feedback from our daughter that says she'll only be satisfied if breakfast includes eating with all the Disney princesses every morning) * **Step 3. Gather data.** What's the best way to get the data we need? In this case, we'll just write down each morning for a week when we start assembling breakfast, when we start cooking, and when we start eating breakfast. We'll then ask everybody how the food is and write down what time we finish. No need for tokens here - a pencil and a sheet of paper will do nicely. * **Step 4. Process the data.** After we've recorded this info for a week, it's time to put the data together so we can review it. Let's just take the pieces of paper we wrote each morning and enter the data into a spreadsheet. A bit nerdier, but acceptable. * **Step 5. Analyze the data.** Keep in mind that even though we are listing these as distinct steps, that doesn't mean we have to do them in a stilted fashion. Thus, we've probably already done some informal analysis that we'll just refine once the data is in the spreadsheet. In reviewing the data, it turns out that the biggest issue is the amount of time it takes to assemble the ingredients. Cooking doesn't take too long, so even if we microwaved everything or didn't cook at all, it wouldn't allow us to reach our goal. * **Step 6. Present and use the data.** Again, nothing complicated - we share with the family what we learned and ask for suggestions on what to do. It turns out Disney princesses won't help here, but pre-made ingredients might. We add some items to the shopping list for next week so we can see what happens. * **Step 7. Implement improvement.** We buy the pre-made ingredients and try using them. Maybe they work great, maybe they taste like cardboard. But at least everyone for now is making it to school on time. If we're satisfied with the food, we can move on with our lives. If not, we can try different ingredients or experiment with new breakfast options. Worst case, we can always go back to the beginning with what we learned and try something else - maybe we could just eat earlier in the morning? Again, this is overkill 99% of the time, but where this is useful is when we are dealing with a complex environment like a DAO. Maybe we aren't all in sync on what our goals are, or maybe we don't even agree what problems exist. When processes aren’t working, following these 7 steps can get us back on track. \*\* This post is heavily based on a series of messages I originally posted in the [Orca Protocol Discord server](https://discord.com/channels/800379096555061260/814948877965721651) on 2022-04-15, with modifications to address feedback raised, improve clarity and reflect (hopefully!) improved thinking since then. Thanks to all in the Orca Protocol (now [Metropolis](https://www.metropolis.space/)) community who provided input, feedback, and support regarding these concepts. --- *Originally published on [Appt Pupil](https://paragraph.com/@apptpupil/the-role-process-thinking-should-play-in-a-dao)*